1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to outdoor cooking apparatuses, and more particularly, to chimney-style charcoal igniters for use with such cooking apparatuses.
2. Background of the Related Art
Chimney-style charcoal igniters are well known in the art. These devices typically include a cylindrical housing having a grate disposed therein for holding a number of charcoal briquettes, and a space under the grate for adding newspaper or other ignitable material for setting afire so as to ignite the charcoal. Such charcoal igniters have been found to be an improvement over the use of hydrocarbon igniting fluid and electrical starters, both of which can be hazardous and inconvenient to use.
Known chimney-style charcoal igniters are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,469,835; 5,197,455; 4,604,986; 4,503,835; 4,461,270; 4,417,565; 4,227,510; 3,296,984; 3,216,379, and 3,073,263. Another known igniter is described in Canadian Patent No. 1,162,123. Such igniters typically use a single or dual handle system (one example of the latter is shown in FIG. 1) for overturning the housing so that the ignited charcoal briquettes are “poured” out the open upper end of the housing onto a charcoal grill or tray of a charcoal cooking apparatus (a.k.a., “barbecue grill”). While effective for delivering the ignited charcoal to a cooking apparatus, known charcoal igniter handle systems are awkward and cumbersome to use.
Furthermore, when the charcoal briquettes are poured through the open, upper end of the housing, the briquettes at the top of the “stack” are repositioned to the bottom of the charcoal tray or grill of the cooking apparatus. Since these top briquettes are the last to ignite in a chimney-style igniter, they will inevitable be the “coolest” of the charcoal briquettes. Since the heat of the ignited charcoal will rise, it's therefore difficult for these “cool” briquettes to ignite and contribute to the heat demanded for cooking.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved charcoal igniter and method that provides for safe and efficient delivery of hot charcoal briquettes to a cooking apparatus.